I SAW a company who stood well guarded and
firm, giving no countenance to those who would unsettle the established faith of the body.
God looked upon them with approbation. I was shown three steps--the first, second, and
third angels' messages. Said my accompanying angel, "Woe to him who shall move a
block or stir a pin of these messages. The true understanding of these messages is of
vital importance. The destiny of souls hangs upon the manner in which they are
received."

I was again brought down
through these messages, and saw how dearly the people of God had purchased their
experience. It had been obtained through much suffering and severe conflict. God had led
them along step by step, until He had placed them upon a solid immovable platform. I saw
individuals approach the platform and examine the foundation. Some with rejoicing
immediately stepped upon it. Others commenced to find fault with the foundation. They
wished improvements made, and then the platform would be more perfect and the people much
happier.

Some stepped off the platform
to examine it, and declared it to be laid wrong. But I saw that nearly all stood firm upon
the platform and exhorted those who had stepped off to cease their complaints; for God

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was
the Master Builder, and they were fighting against Him. They recounted the wonderful work
of God, which had led them to the firm platform, and in union raised their eyes to heaven
and with a loud voice glorified God. This affected some of those who had complained and
left the platform, and they with humble look again stepped upon it.

Experience
of Jews Repeated

I was pointed back to the
proclamation of the first advent of Christ. John was sent in the spirit and power of
Elijah to prepare the way for Jesus. Those who rejected the testimony of John were not
benefited by the teachings of Jesus. Their opposition to the message that foretold His
coming placed them where they could not readily receive the strongest evidence that He was
the Messiah. Satan led on those who rejected the message of John to go still farther, to
reject and crucify Christ. In doing this they placed themselves where they could not
receive the blessing on the day of Pentecost, which would have taught them the way into
the heavenly sanctuary.

The rending of the veil of
the temple showed that the Jewish sacrifices and ordinances would no longer be received.
The great Sacrifice had been offered and had been accepted, and the Holy Spirit which
descended on the day of Pentecost carried the minds of the disciples from the earthly
sanctuary to the heavenly, where Jesus had entered by His own blood, to shed upon His
disciples the benefits of His atonement. But the Jews were left in total darkness. They
lost all the light which they might have had upon the plan of salvation, and still trusted
in their useless sacrifices and offerings. The heavenly sanctuary had taken the place of
the earthly, yet they had no knowledge of the

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change. Therefore they could not be
benefited by the the mediation of Christ in the holy place.

Many look with horror at the
course of the Jews in rejecting and crucifying Christ; and as they read the history of His
shameful abuse, they think they love Him, and would not have denied Him as did Peter, or
crucified Him as did the Jews. But God, who reads the hearts of all, has brought to the
test that love for Jesus which they professed to feel.

All heaven watched with the
deepest interest the reception of the first angel's message. But many who professed to
love Jesus, and who shed tears as they read the story of the cross, derided the good news
of His coming. Instead of receiving the message with gladness, they declared it to be a
delusion. They hated those who loved His appearing and shut them out of the churches.
Those who rejected the first message could not be benefited by the second; neither were
they benefited by the midnight cry, which was to prepare them to enter with Jesus by faith
into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. And by rejecting the two former
messages, they have so darkened their understanding that they can see no light in the
third angel's message, which shows the way into the most holy place.